Once Upon a Time
by AmaranthineShrike
Summary: It's Sleeping Beauty, Hetalia style! Wait...what's Gilbert doing in a dress? The princess is sentenced to a thousand year sleep as opposed to death and- wait...what wakes the princess up? Why are there two princes? Fairy war? Poor King Arthur... Chaos ensues as our Sleeping Beauty attempts to defy the fate that has been set out for...him? PruCan plus side pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Hello~ First story being uploaded! Yay~ *is shot* All right, so this is a request that was given to me by a friend. Intentionally, it was only for her, but we agreed that we could upload it online, so why not? Anyway, this is a parody of Sleeping Beauty, Hetalia style! *is shot again* I have no idea why I even agreed to upload this, but we'll just see how it goes, oui? Anyways~ on with ze story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia~

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Once Upon a Time

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, lived a king who was a wonderful man. He was just, righteous, and all those other words that meant the same thing. Also, he had extremely large, bushy eyebrows. Despite his appearance, however, he was still valued by his subjects, and loved by his beautiful Queen.

Now nobody knew exactly why his queen was a man, but there were rumours of a strange event that had occurred, which involved the Asian man crossdressing to go to the king's ball. According to the story, the king fell for the beautiful 'girl', and had married 'her' even when he discovered that 'she' was actually a 'he'. No big deal, right?

Anyway, this story isn't about the king and the queen. No, this story is about the princess, who was the king and queen's unique son. Once again, no one knew how the queen had their son. However, there were other rumours about a deal with a witch of some sort that amounted to an appalling case of laryngitis on the queens part. Luckily, it was temporary.

But that's another story for another time. This story will start where all good stories do: the beginning.

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"He'll grow up to be a fine man, will he not?" King Arthur remarked proudly, gazing down at their newborn son. His wife, the Queen, Kiku, nodded in agreement. Arthur frowned slightly. "Although I'm not too sure I understand how exactly you managed to do this." However, despite his doubts, the king still had a rare smile, which was a mere curve upwards of the lips, on his face.

"The thing is, Arthur-kun, I wanted a girl," Kiku informed with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Arthur blinked incredulously at him for a moment, before staring down at the child, who was sleeping in the Japanese man's arms.

"Well..." He thought for a moment, before an idea struck him. He snapped his fingers together, his eyes lighting up. "Then we will raise him as our daughter," he decided. "Perhaps we may even be able to find him An agreeable suitor." A light smile and a nod was his response.

"Hai...that sounds good. Arigatou gozaimasu," the queen responded gratefully. Arthur nodded slowly, the distant expression in his eyes giving away the fact that he was still thinking.

"Unfortunately, his name has already been decided, and officially written. We have no choice but to call him Princess Gilbert. We cannot change it." He was given another shrug, and he began to wonder if Kiku was even in the mood for talking at the moment. It was sometimes hard to read him. Perhaps he was tired. A smile in his direction soon made his suspicions dissipate, however.

"You've already done so much, Arthur-kun. It'd be selfish of me to request for more." Arthur allowed his own smile to widen slightly. It was really amazing how the queen could make someone as sour as he was, smile like that.

With that, began the eccentric life of the Princess, Gilbert.

Now in the celebration of the princess' birth, the king and queen decided to host a banquet, and invited all the nobles in the kingdom, as well as the royalty of the neighbouring kingdoms. Of course, they also invited their friendly neighbourhood fairies. After all, their princess deserved only the best, right?

Now the throne room was full to the literal overflowing with guests. In fact, so many were present, that the royal family and emissaries from the Kingdom of Romania had to sit, or hang from, the chandeliers that were dangling from the high ceiling. This only served to fuel the speculation that the inhabitants of their kingdom were vampires.

One by one, all the guests of the princess' banquet stepped forward to give their blessing, and present the young princess with gifts. After an admittedly long while, the fairies stepped forward, perfectly in line, to greet the royal family, and grant traits to the princess.

The first fairy pranced forward, and leaned over Kiku, staring down at Gilbert with happy eyes that looked as if they were closed. "I'm Feliciano, the tomato-box fairy!" he introduced enthusiastically, poking Gilbert playfully with a single digit.

Arthur bowed his head briefly in a respectful greeting. Although Feliciano leaned on the air-headed side, he was still a fairy. They were all unrealistically powerful, even if that didn't seem to be the case in certain situations. In Arthur's opinion, it was best to keep on their good side.

As Feliciano peered down at the princess, he giggled, and cooed down at Gilbert, who had woken up, and was now staring up at him with crimson eyes, still filmed over slightly with sleep. "The princess is so cute~" he sang. "For my gift, I'll give him beauty! He'll be the most beautiful princess that ever existed~" With a gentle flick of his wand, the deed was done.

The queen looked down at his little princess, before lifting his gaze to stare blankly up at Feliciano. After a moment, he dipped his head in thanks, but said nothing. To be honest, he didn't really see any change at all. Not that he would admit it of course. After all, some spells took time, did they not? That was probably the case for this one.

As Feliciano traipsed off, his place was taken by a very distinguished looking man, who stared disdainfully down at the princess, looking for all the world like he had better things to be doing, or other places to be at that moment.

"My name is Roderich," he introduced crisply as he stared at Gilbert. "The child will be a troublemaker when he grows up. For my gift, I will grant him remarkable intelligence. If he will even know how to put it to decent use." A flick of the wand followed the remark.

Arthur bristled at the offensive comment that had been thrown at his child, but nevertheless allowed it to slide for now. The bastard was lucky that he was a fairy, or he'd be hanged then and there for even trying to imply that Gilbert was unintelligent.

As Roderich stepped away, primly brushing what Arthur assumed to be microscopic particles of dust from his clothing, his place was taken by a flamboyant looking blonde, who paraded somewhat coquettishly up to them. Arthur raised an eyebrow. He hadn't realized that the fairies took to crossdressing.

"I'm Feliks, and like omg, the princess is totes adorbs!" the fairy keened. "He is like, gonna be totes hot when he grows up! You know what? I think I'll like, make him super sexy~ you know, so everyone's gonna fall for him 'cause he's seriously gonna be hot~" Both Arthur and Kiku could've fainted at that.

Feliks waved his wand in a vivacious manner, and practically cat walked off in heels that looked painfully high. And painfully pink. Arthur wasn't even sure if it was possible to wear shoes like that without falling over. Or blinding the people who looked at them. Luckily, Feliks had wings to help him balance.

Another fairy stepped forward, this one looking like he'd rather be taking a nap than attending a banquet. As if that wasn't enough, a slumbering cat sat atop his shaggy brown hair. He bowed slightly, and yawned, covering his mouth with one hand as he lazily eyed the princess.

"Hm...a pleasure to be here...I'm Heracles." He blinked tiredly, and flicked his wand over Gilbert. "I'll give the princess diplomacy...helps them have a sense of justice." With another yawn, he dragged himself off, presumably to go find some place to take a nap. He already seemed asleep on his feet.

"Ah~ I'll give the princess an independent spirit, oui?" Arthur scowled lightly as he eyed the fifth fairy to approach them. Maybe he shouldn't have invited them after all...? This fairy was unique, as he used to be human. Of course, there had to be a strange circumstance in where he had been dying, and Arthur had saved his life under eccentric conditions.

"Lose the suave act, bloody git," Arthur muttered. Lifesaver or no, he still didn't share the best of relations with the narcissistic idiot of a fairy. Francis didn't seem to care, however, as he cast the spell, and walked off, winking at Arthur, who shivered in return.

The sixth pranced forward, leaning over to stare at Gilbert, who stared back up at him. "Aww~ the princess is so cute!" he crooned. "Unlike his father," he added in a more sullen tone. The fairy Antonio was known to have a long-standing rivalry with Arthur for reasons unknown to mankind. "I'll give him a sense of adventure! He'll be curious, and inquisitive, and...and it'll be so cute!" There was another one who wasn't known for his brains either.

One by one, they gifted Gilbert with personality characteristics. By the time of the tenth fairy, the princess was artistic, confident, strong, and creative. Just as the twelfth fairy was about to step forward so that he could present his gift, an uproar arose in the room as the doors were flung open with an invisible force. All eyes in the room turned to gaze warily at the newcomer. It was none other than the proclaimed insane thirteenth fairy.

"They say Ivan is mad, da? Maybe it is because nobody has become one! Become one with me, da?" Every person in the room stared at him unsure of how to reply. Of course none of them would say yes, but none of them knew how to say no.

"No one wants to become one?" The fairy pouted. "Fine! But you'll all regret it, da? Let's say that once the princess turns sixteen, I'll ask if he wants to become one. If he says no, he drops down dead, da?" No one bothered to point out the alliteration. With a wave of his wand, the curse was placed on the poor princess.

Arthur was angry. All right, who the hell gave that bloody wanker the right to do this to his princess? The queen on the other hand, seemed unfazed, which was strange when one bothered to think about it. Arthur shot a quizzical glance at the Asian. "You don't seem too troubled."

"Well, I did want a girl, Arthur-kun."

"Oh." Arthur shrugged. "But he's our princess, right? He'll grow up just like any other fine lady." Kiku nodded slowly at the statement.

"Hai...I suppose you are right," he agreed. "But he's still genetically incorrect." Arthur raised (a very large) eyebrow. After a split-second's thought, he glanced down at Gilbert before his gaze returned to Kiku.

"So are you," he pointed out. Kiku mused on that for a moment before sighing, and cradling Gilbert in his arms.

"Good point."

With their little conversation, they hadn't noticed the rather loud cacophony that had begun to resound throughout the room. Once Arthur did, however, he massaged his temples. This was grating on his nerves. He raised a hand for silence, but it went unnoticed by all. He drew in a deep breath, but someone beat him to the chastisement.

"Shut the fuck up!" The twelfth fairy, who looked strikingly similar to the first, glared around the room as if daring anyone to challenge him. In no time at all, the room was so silent, you would be able to hear a down feather fall onto the marble floor.

With a huff and a few muttered profanities, the fairy crossed his arms over his chest, balancing his wand in between his index and middle fingers. At an impertinent whisper, he glared at the direction it had come from, and quickly flipped the wand between his ring and pinky fingers so that he could give an onlooker a rather rude gesture.

"Just in case all you fucking bastards forgot, I still haven't given the damn cross-dressing brat my gift." Arthur couldn't help but wonder why everyone was so intent on ridiculing his son. Seriously! The queen was male and no one cared, so why make a big deal about his son being a princess?

"I was actually thinking about giving the bastard some fucking courage, but I suppose you don't want the bastard brat dead." The fairy Lovino sighed in exasperation, and ran his fingers through his hair, avoiding his peculiar curl.

"Well, I can reverse the whole goddamn curse, but that'll end up causing fucking controversy, or maybe a screwed up war, and I'm pretty sure that's the last damn thing you want. You're fucking lucky I'm being so damn considerate."

He walked up to the royal family, and eyed the albino boy in the queen's arms. He lifted his wand, and tapped Gilbert right between the eyes with a scowl pronounced clearly on his features. "Bastard kid, you're lucky I feel nice today," he muttered, poking the princess' cheek with his wand. Was he not a fairy, Arthur would've sent him to prison for child abuse.

"Listen up, all you bastards!" Lovino began with a frown. "Instead of dying, the princess is going to fall into a death-sleep for a thousand fucking years." Dramatic gasps were heard throughout the room, and Lovino glared at all the guests. "What the fuck are all you bastards gasping like constipated wolves for?" he hissed in annoyance. He rolled his eyes. "At the end of the fucking thousand years, someone will wake the brat up by giving him a good bitch-slap to his face." More gasps.

Lovino mumbled incoherent, and most likely censored phrases under his breath. "What does it take to satisfy all you bastards?" he screeched.

"Aw, cher, that's not only un-romantic, it would injure the poor princess' delicate skin! Don't you think that perhaps a kiss from the princess' true love would be more appropriate?" Francis suggested. Lovino bristled, and scowled.

"Fucking wine-bastard, it's my damn choice! Besides – I'm being fucking nice enough to that goddamn red-eyed brat as it is!" From somewhere up in the chandeliers, a cry of indignation was heard from the direction of the red-eyed prince. Lovino glared up at him and flipped him the bird, before blatantly ignoring him.

"A goddamn kiss? You have to be fucking kidding me! That's just as clichéd as you are, bearded bastard!" The ears of many children were covered that day. "Anyway, if you don't fucking agree with me, then I'll get his goddamn suitor to punch the fucking crossdresser to make him wake up!"

Francis held up his arms in a disarming pose. "If you insist, but I doubt their Royal Majesties would approve of it," he stated. Lovino huffed, crossed his arms over his chest, and pointedly looked away.

"Does it look like I give a shit?"

Arthur coughed to grab their attention. "Begging your pardon of course, but we are still here," he informed sharply. Lovino glared at him, and lifted his wand. A flick of his wrist, and the tip of the wand penetrated through the albino's skin, causing a tiny bead of blood to ooze slowly out. The single droplet coursed down Gilbert's face, drawing a scarlet path down his pale skin. Lovino grumbled, and stepped aside.

"There. Done," he muttered. "You'd better be fucking satisfied." Kiku stared serenely at him, unblinking.

"I still wanted a girl."

"Who gives a fuck?! You already got the goddamn brat when you're a fucking _man,_ you crossdressed the bastard, and even then you still wanted a damn girl?" Kiku shrugged.

"He's still genetically incorrect." Lovino rolled his eyes impertinently.

"So are you." And for the second time in the span of three minutes, Kiku was in dire need of ice for all his burns.

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How was that? It probably sucked for a first, but eh, who cares. *is shot a third time* Mind telling me what you think? It would be greatly appreciated! Promise~ :D


	2. Chapter 2

Hello once again~ I made the terrible mistake of beginning a story at one of the busiest times of the year. I would upload faster...but I can't. Sadly. I also realized that the humour factor in the story drops severely as said story progresses. If there's one thing anyone should know about me, I'm terrible at writing humour~

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the story.

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Once Upon a Time

Chapter 2

As the princess grew, he was exceptionally gifted in the arts, and the most beautiful princess ever known to the kingdom. How the princess managed to grasp and hold onto the title of, 'Most Beautiful Lady' was beyond the comprehension of even the king himself, as the princess was quite obviously a man in a dress. For some strange reason, he didn't really mind those dresses though.

The princess could be recognized at first glance, due to his unique appearance. His hair was short and somewhat unkempt, much like Arthur's, but it was a silvery colour in a shade so pale it could be mistaken for white. His eyes were of piercing crimson that put drops of freshly shed blood to shame. It didn't matter if he was wearing a dress or not, however. His physique and attitude strongly resembled a man. Maybe because he was a man.

"Okay...so let me get this straight. I'm not allowed to hang out with 'Tonio and Francis for what now?" Gilbert questioned, a silver eyebrow raised in a skeptical manner. He was responded to by a long-suffering sigh, and a stern look from Arthur.

"Listen, Gilbert. None of us want you dead, all right? It was because of that bloody frog's kind that the psychotic git decided to curse you. It's safer if you do not socialize with the likes of them," Arthur explained patiently. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"You're preaching to the choir. Good luck with that." Arthur raised an eyebrow at the remark, before shaking his head, and smirking slightly.

"Preaching to the choir indeed. Your voice would be more likely to make ears bleed." Gilbert pouted, and crossed his arms over his chest, frowning at the dry insult. Of course it wasn't meaningful, but he hated the way everyone would ask him why he didn't inherit the wonderful voices of his parents. Well screw them! They needed surgery to get those logs out of their asses in his opinion.

With a sassy smirk, Gilbert waved them off, and turned a one-eighty, beginning to walk out of the throne room. He stopped for a moment, and half turned his head so that he could see Arthur and Kiku out of the corner of his vision. A smirk crawled its way onto his lips. "That, unawesome father dear, is why I am awesome. You just have to deal with it, ja?" Ah yes. How could Arthur possibly have forgotten about the princess' ego. If it grew any larger, the world would implode.

Gilbert traipsed saucily out of the throne room, headed in the direction of his bedroom. He walked up the stairs, and opened a cedar door, looking around for a moment before stepping in and shutting the door behind himself. His eyes traced a path around his room before he rolled his eyes and sighed. "You guys are so unawesome when it comes to hiding. Can't you do it half decently?"

Antonio and Francis materialized out of thin air, the former pouting at the albino. "Aw, Gil, How come it's just so easy for you to spot us?" Gilbert shrugged for a moment before smirking at the brunet, and placing his weight on one leg, placing a hand on his hip.

"Because I'm awesome, 'Tonio. Deal with it." Francis smiled and raised an eyebrow, having to admit that the special skill was one that impressed him. Gifted or not, the albino had a natural clairsentient sense. He was extremely adept at it as well.

The blonde eyed Gilbert's dress, nodding in approval. Gilbert stared down at the silk that he had been veritably wrapped in by his two insufferable attendants, and rolled his eyes. He would have worn something else more...suited to his true gender, but there wasn't a scrap of prince's clothing in the entire palace, and although he supposed he could have taken some of Arthur's, the king's clothing was a lot smaller than his.

"Lovely choice in apparel, princesse," he complimented. Gilbert rolled his eyes at first, before smirking at the blonde. He spared his outfit a brief glance, before crossing his arms over his chest.

"They don't have anything gender-appropriate, so if I have to wear girl's clothes, I'll look awesome in them! Of course, I'd look awesome in anything, but still." He smirked as he then recalled his previous conversation with his parents. "Oh ja, and by the way, Father told me to stay away from you guys."

"Ah, cher Arthur, always trying to interfere with something or the other," Francis murmured, for once, his voice not mocking the king. There was a faraway look in his eyes, and Gilbert caught it but quickly shrugged it off. The fairy was probably thinking about how the king had saved his life. Personally, Gilbert couldn't see why exactly Arthur had done such a thing, especially since the king's relationship with Francis wasn't exactly the best.

He sat down on the bed, and kicked off his sandals. He had just barely escaped from having to wear high-heels...he shuddered. Those things were not only a pain to wear, they were also a pain to walk in, and his ankles had grown bruised from the way they would rub constantly against his skin whenever he wore them. Oh sure, they looked awesome on him (in his opinion, of course) but they made his feet hurt like hell. After all, he still had the figure of a man – he was just wearing women's clothing.

"Gil's sixteenth birthday is arriving soon, si?" Antonio asked, poking the albino's cheek playfully with an index finger. Gilbert allowed the brunet to poke him as he nodded and smirked. Oh, he knew perfectly well what the meant, but he wasn't about to start moping about it – that was unawesome. He sighed, and leaned back, resting his hands on the bed, and leaning his weight against his arms.

"Ivan'll be there, right?" he inquired, not really curious at all. He had been told more than once the entire story, to the point where he could retell it himself with every detail that there was to be told.

"Oui...of course he will. So will you become one?"

"Hell no!" Gilbert blurted out in response. "I don't even know the guy, much less like him, and he expects me to 'become one'? Nuh-uh. I wouldn't even do that if I was drunk!" Francis raised a finely sculpted eyebrow.

"But isn't that the safer option? You won't fall asleep for a thousand years. Cher, if you choose against it, then when you awaken, everyone you know will die...except us, and maybe the Prince of Romania, but that's irrelevant. You'll be the only one of your time left." Gilbert shrugged.

"I don't know why, but I have this strange feeling that Father won't die. Mother...well, wanted me to be a girl, but otherwise he's fine I guess. Also, you know what? Screw the Romanians. You know that the longest they age into is the hundreds. I've never heard of one living to the thousands," he replied easily.

"Wow~ Gil's really brave!" Antonio called with a grin, and another poke to the albino's cheek. Gilbert swatted the fairy's hand away, and pinned it down onto the bed indifferently as he shot a side glance at the brunet.

"Of course! I'm awesome, so how could I not be?" He puffed out his chest proudly.

"Oui, we all know," Francis responded, deciding to humour Gilbert.

The three friends had been with each other ever since the princess' banquet, and that wasn't about to change any time soon. In fact, as Gilbert grew, he had admittedly spent more time with them than he had with his own parents. They might as well have been his best friends, or even his brothers.

Gilbert frowned, and tugged the silver choker that had been clasped around his neck as a sudden thought struck him. "By the way, why won't my parents quit with all this suitor shit? It's obvious that I won't fall for whoever they're trying to make me fall for, or vice versa. I don't want to have to marry someone I don't like! Besides – if this has something to do with the curse, they'll be dead before I wake up, won't they?" he ranted.

Francis offered a magnanimous smile, and waved off the words of the albino dismissively. "Don't worry, Gil. All stories have happy endings, don't they? Yours will have one too, so you don't need to worry, oui?" Antonio scratched his head, a bemused expression on his features.

"Francis, don't you feel like you're talking like someone's writing this whole thing out?"

"You never know." Awkward silence prevailed between the three. Finally, Gilbert rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Nice going, Francis." The fairy shrugged nonchalantly.

"Who knows. 'Toine may be right." Gilbert shook his head skeptically, the raised eyebrows adding effect to the already disbelieving expression.

"No, that would just be creepy, wouldn't it? But aside from that, back to this situation. Isn't there any way to at least shorten the thing from a thousand years? When I wake up, my muscles would have atrophied!" The two fairies exchanged looks, laughing slightly at what the albino was prioritizing at the moment.

"I would try to do something about it myself-"

"Me too!"

"- _ahem-_ like I was saying, I would do it myself, but unfortunately, I was not the one who cast the countermanding spell. Lovino is especially protective over what he does, so every spell or curse that is cast has a condition to it. It may only be modified or dropped by him. No one has managed do anything once one of his spells have been cast, and he's the only one that can modify it." Gilbert sighed in frustration.

"So I have to go and ask him to change the damn thing?" he questioned. The two nodded in reply. Gilbert rolled his eyes once more, and tugged the lace-like Victorian shawl off his shoulders, allowing it to fall down by his hips. "Thanks a lot guys."

"You're welcome!"

"That was sarcasm, idiot."

Antonio drifted off for a little break to the bedroom's resident emo-corner. Hugging his knees forlornly to his chest as he moped.

"Now you've made him emo, princesse." Gilbert spared the blonde a brief glance, before returning his gaze to the brunet.

"What the hell is an emo?" He frowned. "And come to think of it, why do we have different voice inflections?" Francis blinked, before frowning in thought.

"Now that you mention it, I have no idea what emo is...I don't know why I said it either. I never noticed our accents...but I do know that mine is definitely more refined that either of you two," Francis claimed. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Ja, ja. But mine is still awesomer than yours."

"'More awesomer' is bad grammar, and the word 'awesomer doesn't even exist, Gil." The princess stuck his tongue out childishly.

"It is in my dictionary! You're just unawesome, which is why you won't accept it." Francis spared him an expression of bemusement.

"What's a dictionary?"

"They invented it yesterday."

"Oh. All right, then."

Antonio chose right then to jump out of emo-corner, and poke Gilbert on the cheek once more. The albino swatted at Antonio's hand once more, but failed to knock it away. "Gil~ I think you have company!"

The princess jumped off the bed, and swiftly headed over to the balcony, looking down with an expression of frustration plastered on his features. "Why won't they ever schedule a visit? And if they do, why won't they at least let me know ahead of time?" he sighed. "It's probably another potential."

"Ehh? You mean they're still looking for suitors?" Gilbert nodded a little tiredly as he retreated back into the bedroom.

"Ja. Most of them are really annoying, you know." Francis chuckled behind one of his hands.

"If that's coming from you, princesse, I'm glad I don't have to be that one that meets them."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Francis held up his hands disarmingly. "Nothing, nothing," he assured. Gilbert could've sworn he heard some sarcasm in the blonde's words.

He chose to ignore it as a knock sounded on the door of his bedroom. Immediately, Francis and Antonio vanished. Gilbert could tell that they had actually left this time around – he wondered where to. Then again, it was Francis and Antonio. He probably didn't want to.

"Princess?"

Gilbert pulled his Victorian shawl over his shoulders and slipped into his sandals. "Ja, come on in," he invited.

The door opened, and a pale blonde-haired teen sporting a cross-shaped barrette on one side of his head stepped into the room. He was followed by another with platinum blonde hair and violet eyes, bearing a puffin upon his shoulder. The two were the princess' personal attendants and confidantes.

"Let me guess...another one?" Gilbert questioned. The first one shook his head.

"Nei. Not one. Two." The platinum blonde nodded.

"They go by the names Prince Alfred, and Prince..." he paused for a moment, as if trying to remember. "...Prince Matthew," he finally recalled and spoke out loud. Gilbert hummed in thought.

"What are they like?" he asked. The barrette-wearing one answered.

"The two brothers are said to be twins. The younger, Prince Alfred, is loud and boisterous. He is rather amicable, and seems to enjoy being in the centre of attention. He is said to have a hero-complex of some sort. The eldest, Prince Matthew, is much his opposite. Prince Matthew is quiet and kind, but he also seemed like he does not want to be here. He is polite when need be, but is rumoured to be extremely talented in both physical and verbal conflict."

The albino frowned at both descriptions. Personally, he thought that it was all but another fail on his parents' parts.

"Hah. Neither of them seem like my type," he informed dryly. The platinum blonde shrugged, and the puffin that sat perched on his shoulder squawked in protest to the movement.

"If you will excuse me for saying, princess, I can tell," he replied smartly. Gilbert pouted slightly, and the lips of the platinum blonde barely curved upwards as he noted the expression. They soon dropped back into a neutral position, leaving Gilbert to wonder if what he had seen had actually taken place.

"Lift your foot, princess," the older of the two stated monotonously. Now Gilbert appreciated the help of both his attendants, and their advice was invaluable, but he just wished they'd show more emotion than they did. It was a little unsettling how expressionless their faces were every single time he saw them. Especially their eyes.

He lifted his leg, and sighed in annoyance as a high-heeled boot was slipped onto his foot, and stretched all the way to his knee. He glanced at it in apprehension. How long would he have to walk around in these? He'd so blame his attendants if blisters rose on his feet or if they became callused. Not that they'd particularly care, but still.

"Those things hurt like hell, you know," he stated, his tone a matter-of-factly one. They shrugged, and once again, loud protest was put up by that puffin on the younger's shoulder.

"Our apologies, but we must make sure that your Highness looks presentable, regardless of what it takes."

"Ja, ja. I know," he replied, sighing. "But I suppose we won't be walking around too much..." A shadow of sorts overtook his crimson gaze. "We'd better not be," he added sourly. "How long do you think these two will last, Lukas, Emil?" he questioned.

"Your Highness is unpredictable. We would not be able to guess," the eldest, Lukas, answered. Emil nodded in agreement. Gilbert smirked.

"You do have a point, I suppose." Lukas slipped on his other boot, and Emil fixed his jewellery after setting a silver coronet on his head. The two then straightened up his outfit, and stood back, scrutinizing their work. They nodded in satisfaction, and Gilbert stood up, the heels boosting his height by at least two and a half inches.

As he began to walk out of his room, he was flanked by his two attendants. A confident smirk sat upon his facial features. He exited his room, and walked down the hall before descending the grand staircase that lead to the Grand Hall of the palace, the large room that led to the throne room.

Gilbert's steps were both confident and at ease as he paraded his way to the throne room, flanked by his two attendants. The smirk on his face remained there, and grew somewhat brighter as he waited at the entrance of the throne room for the announcement of his presence.

As his presence was formally declared, he stepped regally into the room, just as he had been taught, his smirk turning somewhat mischievous, and a stubborn light entering his eyes. He raked his fingers through his handsomely unkempt silver hair, and stopped at the coronet, his hands dropping back to his side as he eyed the room.

Upon the thrones on the far end of the room sitting just before a large banner holding the kingdom's crest, ironically a red rose surrounded by thorny branches with a sword in the background, sat the king and queen. Just at the foot of the steps that led up to the throne, stood two fine young men who were followed by a rather small entourage in Gilbert's opinion. He'd seen the entourages of other princes – less than threescore was rare.

The two princes who looked just about his age, give or take a year, looked over at him when he stepped into the room. They both bore a striking resemblance to each other, but their auras were completely different. Alfred, Gilbert guessed, was the one with eyes the colour of the sky, and that cowlick. Matthew, the other, had deep amethyst eyes, and a peculiar curl that stood out from the rest of his hair.

Gilbert knew the drill. There were no exceptions for any prince that came for it. They would be given one working week, that was five days, to attempt to win his heart. If they failed, then they would be sent back to their kingdom. He looked up to his parents as Arthur began to speak.

"Princess, there are the Princes Alfred," Arthur motioned to the blue-eyed one, "And Matthias," he finished. Gilbert raised an eyebrow, and watched as Kiku leaned over an whispered something in Arthur's ear. The king coughed slightly. "Er...that is, Prince Matthew," he corrected. Gilbert nodded slightly. That was better.

He glanced over at Matthew, who was staring at the floor, looking rather forlorn in his opinion. He frowned. It seemed as though the name misplacement thing happened rather often. He wondered why. Matthew was an easy name to remember...right?

"They are the Princes of the vast Kingdom of North America," Arthur continued.

Gilbert dipped into a polite bow, to which he heard a cough. He glanced up at his parents, and caught the look of disapproval in Arthur's eyes. He groaned, rolled his eyes, and dipped into a curtsy, as opposed to a bow. Oh how he hated those damn curtsies...

He tensed, as his hand was grabbed almost immediately, and lips were pressed to his knuckles. His hand was then pulled over, the rest of his body following it, resulting in him being pulled up close to one of the two blondes. He blinked, and found himself looking into bright sky-blue eyes that glittered with cheerfulness and mischief.

"Ah, my lovely princess, would you give me the opportunity to be _your_ hero?" the prince Alfred questioned enthusiastically. Gilbert blinked slowly for a moment, staring at him, before pulling out of his embrace, a grin spreading over his face as he burst into his characteristic laughter.

"Kesesese~ I doubt you realize you're disregarding the regulations of courtesy in this kingdom, but I must say, you amuse me!" The strange raspy laughter followed his words once more, and his two attendants resisted the urge to facepalm as they ran up to him, straightening his rumpled clothing.

He calmed down somewhat, and shot a grin at the direction of the two as they stared at him, their gazes not revealing much of anything as usual.

His eyes travelled over to the second prince, as he stepped forward, and found himself entranced by those violet flames enveloped by liquid amethyst that were the prince's eyes and why the hell was his mind travelling to such poetic lines for someone's eyes again?

The prince, Prince Matthew, bowed politely, and lowered himself onto one knee. Gilbert watched, a little unsure of what to do – none of the other princes had greeted him like this – his hand was lifted, and lips barely brushed over his knuckles for the briefest of moments. He blinked slowly as the prince looked up at him, a serene smile on his face.

"I am Prince Matthew, Princess. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please do allow me to apologize on the behalf of my brother – he can be rather overenthusiastic about...well...everything, really. Don't hold it against him – it's who he is." There were no stumbles or falters in the prince's words, but his voice was quiet; just above a whisper.

"Apology accepted," Gilbert replied graciously, a grin on his features as he took hold of Matthew's hand, pulling him to his feet before releasing him immediately afterwards. At least there was someone sensible around here. He stepped back, and eyed both princes carefully.

"As customary, you will be given a span of five days," he stated. Placing emphasis on the words 'five days'. He glanced over at his parents, and received a nod of approval, and another of dismissal. Turning his back to them, he exited the room, followed by his attendants.

* * *

So...I decided that Gil's going to be the princess. I always see everyone making Matthew the princess, which makes sense, I will admit, but I wanted to see how it would work if the roles were swapped~


	3. Chapter 3

Firstly, I'd like to sincerely apologize for the lateness of this chapter. My laptop crashed completely on me, and I couldn't reboot it. I only managed to fix it up today, and even now it isn't working properly. Once again, I sincerely apologize, and I hope that you can understand that. Anyway, on with with the story, oui?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Sort of.

* * *

Once Upon a Time

Chapter 3

As soon as the three had walked out of earshot of the other four royals, Gilbert turned to face his two attendants. "So...those are the two new potentials?" he questioned dryly. He just knew that those two would only be another two fails. Since he was awesome, that also meant he was correct, and no one could tell him otherwise. Well...they could – he just wouldn't care.

"I must say that Prince Alfred seems completely smitten with you, princess," Emil answered smartly. Gilbert huffed, and crossed his arms over his chest, turning around once more and beginning to walk.

"Alfred is annoying, and Matthew is far too quiet. I'm afraid my parents have once again accepted unawesome candidates," he stated flatly. "Now do you two want to come to the gardens with me? My awesome little Gilbird should be back from...wherever it was he went." The two brothers exchanged glances, before following.

"It is out duty to attend to you, princess," Lukas responded with an abrupt nod. "Thus, we must follow." Gilbert rolled his eyes and smirked. He began to walk out of the palace, lifting his hand in a wave of familiarity to the guards, servants and soldiers that he passed, the motion accompanied by an amicable grin.

He stepped out from within the palace walls into the inner courtyard. Once he entered the garden, he brought his fingers to his lips, and blew out a piercing whistle. He waited, and was soon met with a fluffball of yellow feathers that collided into his chest. He grinned, and pulled the little avian off his dress with a mock sigh. He watched as the bird began to cheep animatedly, and motioning haphazardly with his wings.

"Oh? They were bothering you? Ja?"Gilbert raised an eyebrow, and looked around for a moment. "Francis! 'Tonio! Get out here!" The two magical apparitions materialized before him. Lukas and Emil raised their eyebrows slightly as Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow in an unamused expression.

"Can't I leave you guys alone for a little while without you causing trouble?"

"You sound like our mother, princesse."

"Thank Gott I'm not! I'd pity your mother."

"Hey! Keep my mother out of this!"

"He started it." The index fingers of Francis and Gilbert were pointed accusingly at each other as they stared at Antonio. Lukas reached forward, and pushed the albino's arm back to his side.

"You Highness, It's not befitting of a princess to point so rudely." Gilbert pouted, and Francis hid laughter behind a hand. The albino rolled his eyes and glared at him.

"Anyway, what's this I hear about flying tomatoes and dyeing the roses? You do realize that Father won't be too pleased if I tell him right? Or if you want, I can rip your wings off with my bare hands if you don't change everything back." Now perched on the princess' shoulder, Gilbird nodded.

"But Gil~" Antonio complained, "it's only a little joke!" The look on Gilbert's face told him to shut his mouth if he valued his wings. Francis crossed his arms over his chest and pointedly looked away.

"Like father, like so– ow!" He winced and lost his balance, falling to the ground as his wing was jerked sharply to the side. "What was that for, Gil?" he groaned, rubbing his wing, and standing up on his feet. Gilbert frowned.

"I meant it, Francis."

"Oui, princesse," Francis sighed, a little sullenly. Gilbert huffed in annoyance, his crimson eyes clouding over. He didn't know why he was so irritable at the moment...maybe he just wasn't in too good a mood today. That would explain a lot.

"I must point out that you are rather amusing when irritated, if you'll pardon my remark," Emil piped up, the barest hint of an amused smile in the corners of his eyes. Gilbert's lips curled into a smirk, and he rolled his eyes.

"Coming from you, that's an achievement," he remarked dryly. The two fairies chuckled at the exchange. Gilbert rolled his eyes once more, before his gaze settled on the stone pathway below them. "'Tonio, Francis, my birthday's at the third day from now," he murmured, suddenly serious. He forced a grin onto his face, and lifted his eyes to look at them. "And your orders are to make it awesome!"

"I don't see why not," Lukas supported with a small sigh. Emil nodded. After all, if the princess was literally going to lie dormant for a millennium, the least they could do was try to take his mind off the serious things for the remaining time of his consciousness.

Francis and Antonio exchanged looks before grinning and nodding in agreement. "Let's do it!"

Gilbert and his little group turned around abruptly at the sound of footsteps and voices from a little distance away.

"Stay away from the princess, Mattie! You're not even interested in him, so why're you getting so defensive? Dude, have a little common sense! At least I'm _trying_ here!" Gilbert recognized Alfred's voice immediately. From beside him, he caught Francis stiffen and his eyes widen. Gilbert didn't question it, however. He didn't want to make their presence known to the two princes just yet.

"Al, you can't force him to love you. You can't force anyone to love you. Love doesn't work like that, and you know it. You're right – I'm not interested in the princess. I'm only opposing your opinion for you own good. If you both don't love each other and you end up in marriage, you'll be unhappy. I don't want you to be unhappy, Al." Gilbert was sure that Francis would snap his spine if he stood any stiffer.

"I...I think I need to leave now, Gil," Francis whispered, before vanishing. Antonio blinked and looked around before shrugging and disappearing as well. Gilbert didn't understand why they had gone – he couldn't sense them around anywhere either.

The two princes stepped into the small clearing where the remaining trio stood. Alfred grinned as he spotted Gilbert, and immediately walked towards him, grabbing the albino's hand and clasping it within both of his in an overdramatic gesture. "Princess, may I give you eleven roses and a mirror?" Gilbert blinked.

"Why would you do that?"

"So that you can look into the mirror and see twelve of the most beautiful things in the world." Alfred replied, grinning. Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"Can I bring you to the palace silversmith? That tongue of yours needs a little taming."

"I'd be more than obliged if _you_ were to tame my tongue for me, Princess."

"With what? A whip?" He pulled his hand out of Alfred's grasp, laughing. Alfred blinked, before laughing as well.

"I never knew you were kinky, Princess." Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest, his look of amusement fading, and rapidly.

"Kinky, you say? Maybe so, if I can get myself killed the day I was born," he jabbed. "Give up on me, already! Many far more eligible than you have tried and failed – what makes you think you'll succeed? Besides – by the end of the week, you'll never see me again. Just...drop this entire thing and go home." Alfred and Matthew looked up at him with surprise shining in their eyes.

"Princess?" Matthew ventured quietly. The albino shot him an apologetic smile as he walked past both of them, flanked by his two attendants. Alfred and Matthew stared after the retreating backs of the three figures, but neither made any move to stop them.

"It's a rare sight to see you so sombre, Princess." Gilbert raised his eyes until they met with Lukas'.

"If one of them really does end up falling for me, the situation will only end up breaking their heart by the end of the week. Even someone like me isn't cruel enough to toy with the hearts and emotions of others knowingly. It's better if I just convince them to give up."

Crimson eyes stared almost disbelievingly as both of his attendants bowed deeply.

"You are indeed a true ruler," Lukas stated monotonously.

"And well worthy of the respect of all your subjects," Emil added.

Gilbert stood there for a moment wondering what just happened. He could feel a small pain in his chest, but for the life of him, he didn't know why. He forced a grin onto his face, and took the hands of his two attendants, pulling them to their feet.

"Don't go all mushy on me guys," he groaned. "You're making me go all emotional and other unawesome stuff." The two exchanged looks, and a hint of dry humour was passed between them.

"So be it, your Highness," Emil answered for both of them. Gilbert grinned.

"Good. Any more of that, and I swear Francis will find true love," he replied cheekily. They exchanged yet another glance, and shook their heads, sighing. Some things would just never change, would they.

"Are you suggesting that I'll never find true love, Gil?" As it may be, Francis and Antonio materialized before him as soon as he set foot in the palace. Gilbert's hand met Gilbert's face in what he would later claim to be 'the awesomest facepalm since forever'.

Antonio ran his fingers through his chocolate locks sheepishly. "Well...we're just not used to it. Speaking so much with humans, I mean." Once again, Gilbert's hand met Gilbert's face in what he would later claim to be 'the awesomest facepalm since I last facepalmed'.

"You've had fifteen years, 'Tonio. _Fifteen years._ I'd think you had more brains than that, but it looks like I was wrong..." And just like that, an invisible force pushed Antonio into another emo-corner with the letters e-m-o fashioned from bright neon lights. Gilbert didn't know how that was even possible or, now that he thought about it, what neon lights even were, but he didn't take the trouble to dwell too long on the subject.

A few minutes later, Antonio jumped out of the emo-corner with a grin plastered on his face as he pertly replied, "It's funner to see if we can startle you isn't it?" he queried enthusiastically. Francis raised a finger.

"'Toine, 'funner' isn't a word." Antonio shrugged and shot an innocent grin in Francis' direction.

"Sì, it is! I checked Gil's dictionary." Gilbert frowned.

"I have no idea how you got your hands on my awesome dictionary, but I have to say that you won't have much luck startling me. You guys are just too loud." Emil turned to Lukas.

"I do not know how he could hear them Lukas mín. I couldn't," Emil called quietly. Lukas nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, Gilbert overheard them, and turned around with a smirk plastered to his face.

"It's because I'm awesome and they're loud," he repeated proudly. Francis twirled a lock of his hair around his index finger as he raised an eyebrow and clucked his tongue in disapproval.

"Really, princesse? I don't want to hear that from _you_ of all people."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing at all..."

Gilbert pouted. He clicked his heel on the marble floor of the palace. Soon, he grinned at them. "I should probably head to the banquet hall now, ja?"

Without waiting for a response, he began to head there anyway. He was, of course, loyally followed by his two attendants. Francis and Antonio exchanged glances before vanishing from the spot where they had previously been standing.

The albino walked over to another large hall to the farthest eastern wing of the palace. He entered the hall to be met with his parents and the two princes, which were waiting for him. Arthur sat at the head of the table, and with him sat Kiku. Matthew and Alfred were sitting on opposite sides of each other at the parallel head.

Gilbert waited as his two attendants pulled his chair out. He sat himself down, and they pushed his chair back to its original place, before bowing, and leaving the room, standing only outside, just in case the princess had any need for them.

"Princess...are you by any chance feeling hungry?" Alfred asked, a suggestive glint shining playfully in his eyes. Gilbert smirked and rolled his eyes. He sighed, and picked up his knife, settling the corner of the blade between his index and middle fingers, and pointing the utensil at Alfred, a slightly annoyed look in his crimson eyes.

"For food maybe. Also, just for the record, I love to cut up whatever food I have," he responded sarcastically. Alfred grinned mischievously.

"Ooh, kin-" Gilbert's eyes narrowed.

"Don't you even think about it," he almost snapped, his voice terse. He averted his eyes for a moment, before a slow grin moved over his face. "While we're on the topic of food, however, I'm sure you'll love the appetizers," he stated.

He turned to Matthew, just as the appetizers were brought to the table. Alfred was definitely helpful when it came to cheering people up, but then he always had to go and say the wrong thing...Matthew was quieter. Much quieter. Gilbert decided that he was more likeable than his brother.

"So...are you older or younger than Alfred?" Gilbert asked. In his opinion, it could lean both ways. Matthew did seem to be the more mature of the two, but then again, age didn't seem to have much to do with maturity around here.

Matthew smiled at him, and he blinked in surprise. Admittedly, the Canadian's build was slender, but then again, so was Arthur. Besides – Gilbert knew all too well that it was the quiet ones that should be watched. His attendants were proof enough of that. But Matthew's smile was also one of the loveliest Gilbert had ever had the pleasure to see. He felt that they could both be good friends.

"We are born in the same year, but four days apart from each other. I was born on the first of July, and he on the fourth." Gilbert assumed that meant Matthew was the older one. He definitely acted like it. Even so, Matthew seemed really young – most likely younger than he looked. Gilbert grinned.

"My birthday's just at the end of this week," he informed. "By the way, you don't have to call me princess or anything like that, will you? You can just call me Gilbert or Gil." Matthew laughed in a soft airy manner – the complimentary sound to his voice.

"I can try calling you Princess Gil, then. How about that?" he negotiated. Gilbert shrugged, and Matthew began to eat quietly.

Gilbert took a bite from one of the many appetizers that had been spread out before them. He took a half-bite, leaving half of the appetizer hanging out of his mouth. He felt a presence draw closer beside him, and he turned to be met with sparkling blue eyes.

"May I have a taste, Princess?" Without even waiting for a reply, Alfred bit down on the remainder of the appetizer, his lips barely brushing over Gilbert's.

Gilbert abruptly drew back, his eyes narrowing. He could feel eyes on him, and instinctively knew it must be his parents watching. He frowned. A moment later, a thought came to mind, and a smirk slowly crawled over his lips as Alfred swallowed what he had bitten off. Gilbert grinned.

"If you know mother, you should know that you just tried a special delicacy that is favoured in the kingdom he inhabited before. Tell me, Prince. Have you eaten blowfish before?"

Alfred suddenly turned a shade of green that would make an artist swim across a piranha-infested lake to obtain. Gilbert chuckled under his breath although he felt slightly guilty as Alfred abruptly stood up on his feet, muttered a quick apology and offered a half-bow before running out of the banquet hall, his hand over his mouth.

Finally, Gilbert's eyes drifted over to his parents who, as he had suspected, were both staring at him, a calculating look in both their eyes. Well actually, Kiku looked as unperturbed as ever, whilst Arthur looked a little annoyed with the entire situation. To whom his annoyance was directed, Gilbert didn't know. He didn't think he wanted to know either.

He did, however, catch Matthew hiding laughter behind one of his gloved hands. Gilbert grinned and turned to face him. "You know, he _does_ owe me for being unawesome...I mean seriously!" Gilbert mock pouted. "He stole my food!" Matthew light-heartedly rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Poor Al, though... He's probably gone off somewhere to vomit. Honestly, I can't understand how he can stomach the greasiest of foods, but can't take raw fish." Gilbert shrugged in response, and chuckled softly to himself at the prince's words.

As the main course was brought to the table, Alfred returned and sat down on his designated seat. He still looked a little green, and his skin was an unusually pale pallour. Gilbert eyed him, but made no comment, and soon turned away. Fortunately, Alfred's attention was currently occupied with warily eyeing all the dishes on the table to see if there was any raw fish in them.

Dinner was a surprisingly quiet affair, as Alfred decided to save his breath just in case he was made to eat raw fish once again against his knowledge. Gilbert glanced up, before lowering his eyes mischievously and focusing his own attention on his meal.

Unexpectedly, a little yellow fluffball of feathers flew into the room as fast as it could with its tiny wings, and landed on Gilbert's plate, cheeping in complaint and waving its wings around comically. Gilbert lazily plucked it out of his food, and stared at it as though this was a normal occurrence.

"And what might the problem be this time?" he questioned. Gilbird once again began to chirp, his tone obviously complaining about something or the other. Gilbert blinked, before his eyes widened. The horror within them was a little more than evident.

"Wait...what? Where?" he questioned. Gilbird chirped out something, and Gilbert stood up, excusing himself and running out of the banquet hall as fast as he could in stiletto heels that almost made him trip in his haste. Luckily, he didn't, and continued to walk as quickly as possible, his attendants following him.

He ascended the stairs, and ran over to his room, throwing open the doors. His eyes scanned the room, and landed on Antonio and Lovino who seemed to be lounging on his bed. Francis was over at the balcony, seemingly occupied with some other situation of his own. Gilbert really just didn't' want to know at the moment. He glared at them.

"What the hell are you guys doing in my bedroom without my permission. Actually, forget that. What the hell are you doing on my bed?" he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest, an unamused expression plastered on his pale features.

Lovino paused for a moment, before sliding off the bed, and walking over to Gilbert. He looked up at him for a moment, the silence between them almost tangible. Finally, he lifted his hand and collided it firmly with the albino's cheek, leaving a visibly red mark on the albino's pale skin. Lovino glared venomously at him.

"The fucking tomato bastard insisted that I help him fix up your damn party. You ought to be fucking grateful – I don't even want to be here, dammit! Why, what the hell do you think we were doing here anyway?"

Lovino's eyes widened as realization dawned on him, and his face reddened until Antonio looked like he was about to make a stupid comparison to the tomatoes he was so obsessed with. He lifted his hand, and struck the albino viciously on the face once more, his glare sharpening until Gilbert wondered if there were any holes in his skull yet. He winced and rubbed at his red cheek.

"You fucking pervert! You're just as bad as the goddamn wine bastard!" Gilbert pouted.

"Was the slap necessary?" he asked as Lukas and Emil stood nonchalantly behind him, acting as though they had neither seen nor heard anything. Damn attendants...they probably knew over half of what was going on in the entire world, much more the kingdom alone. They just gave no sign of it. Lovino crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hell yeah, it was!" he replied, huffing. Gilbert rolled his eyes and glared at Antonio who grinned sheepishly, lifting a hand and waving.

"But did you have to be on my bed without my permission?"

"Si!"

A sigh of resignation passed his lips, and he lifted his hands disarmingly. "You all are seriously unawesome, but I'll let you get away with it this once." Oh how he was loath to admit defeat. Antonio grinned.

"Aside from that, you should probably be eating dinner, right?" he asked good-naturedly. Gilbert groaned, and leaned against one of the bedposts.

"No thanks. I think I've lost my appetite. Besides, I think I've had enough of cheesy pick-up lines and attempted seduction for one day."

"Fair enough," Emil suddenly piped up monotonously. Gilbert refused to dignify the statement with a response. He sat down beside Antonio, who still hadn't left his position on the bed. He lifted a leg, and allowed Lukas to unlace and slip off his boot.

"So those were your suitors, non?" Francis question as he waltzed into the room like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Perhaps it was partially because this entire scene was normal for all of them.

" _Potential_ suitors," Gilbert corrected, allowing his shawl to slip off his shoulders, leaving him wearing only his sleeveless dress. Francis stared blankly at him as he responded.

"So they're going to fail like everyone else has, oui?"

"Most likely."

A strange look crossed Francis' eyes, but disappeared as soon as it had arrived leaving Gilbert to wonder if it had even been there in the first place. The blonde sat down alongside Gilbert and Antonio. Lovino eyed the trio through narrowed eyes. He turned a one-eighty and began to walk towards the balcony.

"Lovi! Where are you going?" Antonio called, dismay written on his features. Lovino turned, frowned, and flipped the five of the others in the room a rather rude gesture.

"I'm not saying in the same goddamn room as three bastards," he answered before jumping off the balcony and vanishing. Lukas looked up from where he was unlacing the albino's other boot.

"Begging your pardon, your Highness, but if you three are the bastards, then what are we?"

* * *

Yes, everyone else in the story is in the story for comical relief. Although to be honest, I'm very comical in real life, not so much in writing. Soon enough, there won't be anything funny about this. Or at least not much. Ah well, I tried at least.

Reviews are greatly appreciated :)


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